An open letter to my grandchildren (and yours)

October 27, 2015

Dear grandchildren,

I am writing this to all my wonderful grandchildren and if you would like to share it with the children in your life maybe it will give them an understanding of life in other places. I want you to know how much I miss you, and think of you all the time. I wonder how school is going? What are you going to be for Halloween? There is no Halloween here, for Christmas people visit family, but there is no Santa Clause, or gifts, no big meal. They also do not have the Easter Bunny or the Tooth Fairy.

One of the things that stand out to me is many of the children wear clothes that may have Dora, Sponge Bob, Spiderman, or a Disney character. These children have no idea who these characters are, they have never seen TV, movies, or they do not have storybooks. Often we would consider what they are wearing to be pajamas, but to them who would have special clothes you only sleep in, and why would they be so pretty?

Children here in Haiti live in what they call a Kye A kye is very small not much bigger than maybe your bedroom , some may be as big as your living room. They may have a grass roof or a tin roof; they may have cinder block walls, woven stick walls or woven leaf walls. It is hot here so they don’t worry about getting cold. All the family lives in the Kye, the grandparents, Aunts and Uncles and many cousins. Mostly they may only have one or two beds and many people sleep in one bed or grass mats on the ground, a Kye does not have a floor. Most Kyes do not have electricity or running water.

The kitchen is a small building outside, and has a fire for cooking, The cooking fire is often smoky, so it makes your eyes water and it also makes you cough. It does not have a table, or cabinets. There generally is not a bathroom or an outhouse. You would go to the river for a bath or wash up in a bucket, if you did not live close to a river.

Children carry water from a faucet on the road or in the village. Small children (3 to 5 years old) carry maybe a gallon jug, larger children will carry five gallon pails on their heads. This is the water for everything the family needs, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. The water is not purified like we have and sometimes everyone gets sick from the water. It is kind a like camping all the time, but not in a nice camp ground.

If you are lucky enough to get to go to school, (many children cannot) your school would not have electricity, so no lights, no air conditioning, no computers, and no movies. They do not have desks; there are long benches that you sit on that has a top board to use for writing, many children share a bench. There are not cafeterias in the schools, so if there is food served you bring your own bowl and spoon and eat in the classroom. Some kids have to share a bowl and spoon so they would have to wait for their brother or sister to finish eating to get to eat themselves. Every day that food is served it is usually the same thing. Rice and Beans with a red sauce.

Your class room would not have pretty posters on the walls. Your school books would not have lots of nice pictures. The children do not have books to read for pleasure. They have to learn to read and speak French to understand their school work.

Recess is a favorite time, the children don’t have a playground, but they play in the school yard. They like children everywhere like to chase each other, the boys like to play soccer (they call it football) and the older girls like to jump rope. Usually they don’t have a real jump rope they just have whatever rope or sting they can find. If they don’t have a real ball they play soccer with a bottle, or some ones shoe becomes the ball. The children don’t have cleats anything becomes a goal, usually two big rocks. But they have a lot of fun playing.

The children do not have toys, but anything can become a toy. A plastic bag becomes a kite, a plastic bottle becomes a car. Other than the school uniforms the children have whatever for clothes and many do not have shoes. Often you see young children that are naked. But there are always many children to play with and families are very close to each other.

Families do not have cars, very few parents have jobs. Most commonly the father has a big garden, may be some goats, chickens, and if the family is lucky a donkey. The mothers carry big bowls on their heads of fruits and vegetables to sell in the market, If it has been a good market day then the family will have dinner, but if not your dinner could be a piece of sugar cane, or a piece of fruit, some children don’t get anything to eat.

Even though life is so much different here, than what your life might be, the children are happy, they have a family that loves them. They are loved in their communities and everyone looks out for them. They have never even heard of Mc Donald’s so they don’t miss going, they have never seen play grounds, toys or movies so they don’t miss them either. They are happy with the way their lives are , they maybe wish they weren’t hungry but they always have been hungry so maybe that is normal too.

I am thankful that all of you have such wonderful lives, full of so much opportunity. I just pray that you take advantage of all that is offered to you, learn all you can and become the person God intended you to be.

 

May God bless you ,

Bobchi ( Denise)

P.S. Can’t wait to see you at Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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